Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

What to do when you fall off the wagon again


When I first started my journey to fitness I had about 40 pounds to lose and lots of soul searching to do. I have came very close to my goal but never quite got there. Life and weight gain are what happens when you are not paying attention. I have been on a steady gain for about the past three months. I think that after my certification I felt like all of my hard work had come to an end so to speak. Trying to gain clients, keep up with family and a car accident got the better of me. I let myself fall off of the fitness wagon and spiral out of control. As someone who wants to make a living in the fitness industry this was pretty devastating to my ego. Every day would come and go with unspoken promises to hit the gym and eat my vegetables. Eventually I came to the realization that trainer or not I am just like anybody else who struggles with weight issues. The old adage “You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make them drink” rings true. It would not matter if I had a masters degree in exercise physiology, if I am not living it I can’t preach it. I am going to bare it all in a challenge to help motivate myself and anyone reading this. Starting today I will do what I expect my clients to do. I will succeed and prove once again that it is possible to pull yourself back up onto your wagon and keep going. This is sort of a retake of my blog. I want to stress that people will fall, just get back up. One meal, one workout, one healthy thought, this is fitness for real people. I want to add that it has got to be one of the hardest things to accept. When we have achieved a weight loss and/or fitness goal and gain it back or stop exercising it is the ultimate form of self betrayal. I have wanted to bury my head under a rock Am I alone in this? Not at all. As a women I have a sisterhood with all who have or will do the same thing. We can break this miserable self sabotage and achieve lifetime goals. Living the healthy lifestyle starts with our thoughts. Getting to a place of acceptance and a desire for change must happen first. Okay so we really messed up and went off track, if we immediately shift our focus to staying committed and getting on course then we will leave no room for negative consequences. We are creatures of habit good or bad. Get in the habit of picking yourself up the moment you fall.

Okay now for the rules of the challenge. I will track my progress for 12 weeks and eat as close to a Paleo diet as possible.

Rule number one: Weekly weight and measure check in. This will not be easy. What is out of sight is out of MIND!

Rule number two: Food diary, this is very important! The diary aspect of this challenge will keep me focused on achieving a level of nutritional value and hold my lips accountable.

Rule number three: Chart my exercise program as I would for any client. Keeping record of how and when you exercise is a great way to track progress and set goals. I love to feel the burn as they say however if you spend too much time away from exercise it becomes habit to sit on the couch. “Energy begets Energy”

Rule number four: Entertainment must come in the form of activity, not the television. I am going to turn off the television set for 12 weeks, this will be one of the hardest rules to follow. I am without a doubt a T.V. junkie


I challenge all who reads this to join me, feel free to send me your progress. I would love to hear your story.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Burn Baby Burn

I woke up this morning to discover that my legs were crushed during the night and my upper body had been put through the spin cycle of our washing machine.No pain no gain, feel the burn, I will repeat my mantra over and over as I make my way to the kitchen for a cup of the best dam coffee ever compliments of Hypno. I hear my guru's promise to "Pump Me Up" ringing in my ears. I shall never wear clothes again, why cover up perfection. No more hiding behind large earrings and great shoes. I wonder how nudist look on the elliptical? Some may wonder why I decided to title my blog After the Burn, Let's discuss it shall we.

There is a metabolic furnace in all of us and according to my guru when you exercise to the point of near death and exert all of your large muscle groups you achieve something known as after burn. This is refereed to as EPOC - Exercise Post-Oxygen Consumption. Translation, burning calories after your workout is completed. The idea of burning calories after a workout is awsome. All forms of physical activity contribute to after burn, it is the intensity that will determine how much and for how long the after burn last. I want to chronicle not only what happens to my physical self during these death matches but also what is happening with my spirit after the burn. Well it is time to hit the gym for an hour of cardio, ouch! Until next time may the burn be with you!